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A peacock's tail is magnificent.

Four or sometimes even five feet in length.

When opened, it's an iridescent wonder, shimmering and covered in giant spots.

And as it turns out, when it comes to that wonderful tail, there's even more than meets

the eye.

As this male Indian pea-fowl quivers his outstretched tail, it creates a rustling sound, almost

like a drum roll.

Scientists call this the peacock's train rattle.

You might also call it the sound of peacock love.

That train rattle is also causing a vibration in the air that we humans can't feel.

The female peacocks or pea hens can.

That low frequency rumble hits the sweet spot, also known as the resonant frequency of both

the males and females crest feathers.

They start to vibrate in unison.

Pefowl also do a special wing shake, which seems to hit that same sweet spot.

Scientists aren't quite sure how the train rattle love buzz fits into peacock mating

behavior, but for the first time, we're starting to listen in.

For Bird Note, I'm Mary McCann.

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